Portland quartet Rose City Band are led by the prolific Ripley Johnson (Wooden Ships, Moon Duo) with support from Barry Walker (pedal steel guitar), Paul Hasenberg (keyboards), and John Jeffrey (drums). Their fourth record, Sol Y Sombra, translates to sun and shade but doesn’t deviate much from their cosmic country roots.
Johnson said, “I’m generally trying to make uplifting music, good time music. This time, I couldn’t avoid the shadow being more of a presence.” While the album acknowledges darkness in contrast to the light, nothing deviates from the band’s sun-kissed sounds that flow back in time, most often to private press records of the mid-to-late 1970s. Sol Y Sombra moves gracefully from one pleasant melody to the next, the only downside being they never fully explore the further reaches of their sound. In this effort, Rose City Band deliver what fans have come to expect by producing another effortless collection of jam-friendly tunes.
Much of Sol Y Sombra flits above the surface like a dragonfly moving across water. The mellow “Lights All the Way” captures the warm tones of Rendezvous-era Luna with crystal-clear guitar work that displays restraint even while showcasing an impressive guitar solo. Rose City Band members demonstrate their technical gifts but do so in a way that rarely draws attention to their craft, primarily creating the effect of a group that sound polished and have been at it for a while (even if their shared history is but a sliver of their collective experience). That assuredness and their overall sophistication make for an easy listen all the way through.
Thanks mainly to Walker’s pedal steel guitar, Rose City Band’s music always seems to be moving forward despite their carefree style. Sol Y Sombra offers many tunes that are best fit for the road. The way that “Evergreen” documents a slow-motion drive through the forest contrasts with tracks that move down the highway at a steady clip, like “Open Roads”, “Radio Song”, and “Wheels”. Similar to Beck‘s Sea Change, the group prove that making music in motion doesn’t mean it should be absent of atmospherics. As the album title and cover suggest, the desert plays a prominent role in the record’s symbolism and overall meaning.
Rose City Band find influence in a range of styles on the record, most of which can be found in 1970s record collections. While all the instruments blend with fluidity, Johnson’s guitar often takes center stage. “Radio” finds him showcasing his clean tones and some minor effects for the solos that carry the song to its eventual conclusion. The steady backbeat of “Wheels” gives him room to jam in the middle of the track, and one can envision this extending out endlessly in concert. There is plenty of neat interplay between the band, and those moments become sharpened the more one listens to the record, assuming it doesn’t become relegated to the background (as their music can do if not actively engaged).
On Sol Y Sombra, Rose City Band are trying to stretch their sound in some different directions. If fellow West Coast band Pacific Range paints in hues of the early Grateful Dead, Rose City Band apply the palette found in their Arista years. The closing moments of “Seeds of Light” ventures into Terrapin Station territory, then quickly transitions to the jazzy instrumental “La Mesa”, which gives off Khruangbin vibes. One gets the sense that Rose City Band could devote an entire album to their more experimental side if they didn’t find so much value in their core sound. Metaphorically, they find plenty of contiguous trails worth exploring, even if the trek covers some well-worn ground.
The themes here are not necessarily earth-shattering, but they touch on deeper personal concerns, some of which are darker than previous records. On “Sunlight Daze”, Johnson ponders aging and mortality, as he wonders, “Isn’t it strange when you’re old and gray / And you feel the same.” In “The Walls”, he considers walls figuratively and literally, especially the personal cost of being on the inside looking out at the immigration battle (something that causes an emotional episode while driving). These are not easy times for Johnson and company, but they are perhaps a more honest reflection of our psyche that will be refreshing, even for those mainly tuned in for the good vibes.
On a record filled with as much quality as any in their catalog, Rose City Band recall those bygone acts who believed country music could be more joyful than its roots and rock should never take itself so seriously. There is a lot to like in Sol Y Sombra, and it will find an audience with those who appreciate deft musicianship that doesn’t kill a good buzz. Unlike most jam bands, where fans are asked to follow twists and turns until the music peaks—that moment when everything fires at once—these guys offer something milder in an attempt to remind us that sometimes less is more. It serves as a nice backdrop for afternoons baking in the sun or just getting baked anywhere for that matter.